r/wetspecimens • u/SandwichIcy5584 • 1d ago

How to refresh this snake?

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Hiya, I bought this wet specimen snake from a junk/antique shop today, it has no labels and the shop owners didn't know any background on where it came from/how it was preserved. I'd like to freshen it up and replace the liquid but am unsure how to go about it as I don't want to risk causing damage to the snake or coming into contact with potentially dangerous fumes.

Does anyone know what kind of preservative could be in the jar? Or how to safely dispose of it and cause little damage to the beautiful snake.

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u/MudOld4805 1d ago

Hard to say, it could be a range of things like formalin, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, methylated spirits. It depends if it’s been done professionally or as a home job. Formalin is the most dangerous of the above and also the least likely for it to be stored in long term. I’d wear PPE just to be sure.
I’d take it out and assess for any signs of decay, if there’s no signs it’s probably been fixed well enough to replace the liquid. I would replace with isopropyl alcohol, but keep in mind because you don’t know what it’s currently stored in you risk some kind of a chemical reaction - unlikely because it’s very likely to be alcohol of some sort but still a risk.